Drivers can anticipate minor delays when road crews begin about $6 million worth of crown paving, bridge repairs and other maintenance through Red Deer this summer.
The City of Red Deer will begin its regular road maintenance in the coming weeks, which will include about $4.5 million of resurfacing of roads in 35 different sections of the city.
Some bridge work will also occur, including minor repairs at the 49th Avenue and Red Deer River bridge.
Crews will do chip seal resurfacing at the Gaetz Avenue and 60th Street bridge, as well as the Taylor Drive bridge.
“The bridge work at the 60th Street and Taylor Drive bridges will have traffic restrictions, but they should be short term,” said Public Works manager Greg Sikora. “Resurfacing typically lasts a couple of weeks.”
Other minor deck repairs will take place at five or six other bridges and will be done quickly, he added.
As well, guard rails on the shoulder of Spruce Drive will be removed and replaced with new ones. Guard rails will also be installed along 30th Avenue at the ravine crossing at approximately 77th Street because of steep slopes.
The city will also replace some sidewalk panels, curbs and gutters through the summer, and also some spray patching and crack filling.
This year’s road maintenance budget of $6 million is consistent with last year’s spending, Sikora said.
Sidewalk work and crack filling and crown paving are being done at the same level as 2009. Bridge work is down, based on need. Meanwhile, upgrading of three intersections along 32nd Street will be delayed.
An estimated $8.55 million worth of work was to be done over the next two years at the intersections of Spruce Drive, Springfield Avenue and 40th Avenue. Right-turn lanes will be added at Spruce Drive and Springfield Avenue. A dual left-turn lane will be added for northbound drivers on 40th Avenue who are turning west onto 32nd Street. Left-turn signals will also be lengthened at the intersection. The 40th Avenue intersection will also receive dedicated right-turn bays in all intersections. And the sidewalk on the north side of 32nd Street will be upgraded into a three-metre asphalt one.
Engineering Services manager Frank Colosimo said the city will evaluate the road this year to see exactly what kind of base and other repairs need to be done and whether all the work should be done in one year or two.
“Do we do the widening and the base repair at the same time because both of them would require us to close down lanes,” Colosimo said.
The work could then occur in 2011 and/or 2012.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com